Read Mumsnetters’ feedback on the new Change4Life food scanner app

[JustineBMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the MNers who have been testing the Change4Life food scanner app.

Here’s what PHE has to say: “Without realising it we’re all eating too much sugar, saturated fat and salt. The new and improved ‘Food Scanner’ app is here to help you and your family make healthier food and drink choices. Simply scan the barcode of your food and drink to reveal what’s inside.”

Testers, please answer the below questions.

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?
2. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?
3. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?
4. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?
5. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?

All testers who give their feedback will be sent a £5 Amazon voucher.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Used this with my 6 yr old to show him why he couldn’t have cereal as a snack before bed. He was shocked by how much sugar is in it, the illustration of sugar cubes is really useful. Some products we scanned weren’t there but I’m sure the database will grow over time.

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?
Not really as I used it mainly on items I had already bought that were at home.

2. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?
It was really interesting to find out some of the information on some products. While I generally look at sugar content I don't always look at salt or fats. This made me think a bit more about things I might buy. My daughter is learning about healthy eating at school so she enjoyed scanning things as well.

3. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?
I think I might as it is helpful sometimes and good for my kids to understand and make better choices for themselves when they choose snacks. But it depends on how the app evolves as to how long I might use it for.

4. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?
I didn't change any purchase choices but it might help me to make better choices in the future.

5. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?
More products added to the database as a few things didn't scan, maybe allowing users to input the information of items they've scanned that aren't recognised and then confirmed by change4life once they've checked he info. Also giving a possible alternative to items that have high sugar and salt content.

1. It didn't really help me, but I used it to show my 4yr old to try and explain about healthy choices and treats.

1. I liked the visuals for encouraging children to use the app with/without a parent. But it isn't something an adult on their own would use.

1. I will continue with the app to encourage my child to think about their choices of foods and drinks.

1. It didn't affect any choices I made personally, but my child agreed to switch a drink for an healthier option.

1. There should be alternative option for healthier choices/swaps within the app without taking you to the main online site to make it more user friendly when out and about.

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?

Yes definitely. I went around whilst shopping and scanned my normal kids snack items. I then bought a few different things as some of our normal snacks were unhealthy

1. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?

It was simple and easy to use, very colourful and easy to interpret the results

1. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?

Yes most probably

1. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?

I changed a few of the kids snacks due to high sugar/salt content. I knew they were unhealthy but to see it in a sugar/salt picture was better representation for me.

1. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?

More food could be added. There was a lot of stuff that wasn't loaded. I think the app could also give alternatives. I.e you've just scanned yoghurt covered rice cakes that are high in sugar/salt how about you try plain ones that are low sugar/salt

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?

I'm not sure about helping me make healthier choices but it sure made me feel guilty about some of my choices, although it has made me realise that i drink a ridiculous amount of pop.

1. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?

The actual scanning process and being able to tell just by scanning whether a product was a healthier swap

1. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?

Maybe (when the little one's a bit older)

1. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?

Swapped fizzy pop for water

1. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?

Possibly tallying up the exact amount of sugar intake in a day and a warning system

Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?
Mainly used on items I currently buy which was interesting to see. I usually don't worry too much about snacks although maybe I should be more cautious!

1. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?

Very child friendly and really engaged them

1. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?

Yes I think I probably will

1. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?

I eat a lot of humous and I changed from full fat to low fat.

1. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?

I had expected the food swap bit to interact with what id scanned and offer an alternative (although in hindsight it might be a bit tricky) I'd quite like a protein amount adding too (I'm a vegan and everyone is obsessed with how I get my protein!)

1. yes I do think the app helped me make healthier food and drink choices as I was able to compare products before deciding whether to purchase.For example I could compare how much sugar,salt etc was in each item and then make my decision.

2.i was the only one in my family who used the app,however I think my daughters would have enjoyed scanning the food items as they enjoy using the self checkout at the supermarket and doing the job of ‘making the items beep’ as we describe it. 3.I will continue to use the app as some of the results were very surprising and made me feel that although I felt I was making a healthy choice for my children it was in fact not. I also found using it interesting and would like to carry on using it. 4.When in the supermarket buying my weekly groceries I used the app while in the cereal aisle. I tested a box of own brand shreddies as this is my youngest daughters favourite cereal and I have always believed it to be healthy.However after scanning it and being surprised by the amount of sugar I instead chose a box of own brand Rice Krispies. 5.Im not sure of any features that would improve the app however I did find quite a few products could not be found.

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?

I used the app quite frequently and it gave useful information for some products to enable healthier choices. However there were several products missing from the database (including flavoured water which I was interested to see in comparison to squash for example) and multipacks did not give the Data for individual portions meaning it was more difficult to use quickly for those products.

1. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?

It was easy to use and gave information in a simple visual way.

1. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?

I will use it if the above issues were rectified- otherwise it is quicker and easier to use the traffic light system on the pack.

1. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?

None

1. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?

as above.

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?

Not really. I simply used it to give me an idea of calories etc.

2. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?

It’s quick and easy to use. No trouble reading any of the barcodes I had.

3. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?

On occasion. More for me than the kids. I don’t tend to get too obsessive about what they are eating. I think kids need calories and fat. It will help with entering calories into my Fitbit.

4. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?

I have not done this.

5. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?

It’s fine as it is.

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices? Didn't use for drinks as tend to drink water and herbal tea. Yes definitely from a food point but mainly snacks...when cooking from scratch you can t scan so many things to keep it clear what your whole meal is going to be like
2. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app? Made me realise along with tracking my food where i am going wrong with snacking.
3. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app? Yes but frustrating a lot of things are not in the app.
4. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?

I had bought graze protein bites as snacks at work for the improved protein however sugar and fat shocked me so gave to oarnrer8.

1. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?

Chance to tailor for medical conditions linked to obesity is diabetic diet or low fat diet controlled with drugs etc. Added input of your own weight and height. Alternative healthier shacks.

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?

I don't, it was fun but we generally aim for home cooked food and avoid snacks so it really just reinforced those choices.

1. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?

My dc liked guessing what the app would say then finding out if they were right. They were pretty accurate which showed they have a good handle on what goes into food.

1. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?

Probably not. It was great to show that we do know what we're talking about and reinforcing the lifestyle we live but I don't think we'd have much use for it beyond that ourselves.

1. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?

N/A

1. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?

I don't like artificial sweeteners being peddled. They are not a healthy alternative to sugar and suggesting it is sets up unhealthy ideas around food.

1. I don’t think it helped in making healthier choices, as I feel we eat fairly healthy anyway.
2. My DS enjoyed using the scanner and finding out the results.
3. We may or may not continue to use the scanner depending on how it’s developed.
4. I didn’t purchase differently because of the scanner.
5. An added beneficial feature would be to include nutritional information that isn’t already in packaging.

1 - not really as it was obvious really which items would flag up, we eat quite healthy anyway
2 - just having it confirm what we thought was correct
3 - probably not as we knew which items were high anyway
4 - no
5 - it’s fine as it is

Nearly missed additional questions.

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?

In last 3 years I learned a lot and try to choose food which is better for me and my family,however for my older son for whom it is so hard to explain why this or that is not good it was easy to show two tasty snacks,one healthy like rice cakes and one not so healthy and all those sugar cubes which fell down and make noises helped to think differently.

1. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?

I liked sugar cube sounds and fat dripping sound added little bit of excitement.

1. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?

probably for sugar visualisation purpose for my older son. I usually look for ingredients those words which food maker write in especially small print and look at sugar content for 100g

1. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app? Showed my son picnic bar how much sugar it is and he decided that he don't need that treat,at least not that day:)
2. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app

Maybe explanation about sugars and all different names it comes.which sugar is better for your health like honey or natural sugar in fruits.If your child have cavities at that case all sugar is sugar.That there are healthy saturated fat and not so good ones. Like mayonnaise and butter.If I didn't know better I would use mayo instead as it was less saturated fat than butter.Grass fed,good quality butter is way superior than unhealthy mayo.

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?

Yes, it helped me choose between different foods depending on content.

1. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?

My 3 year old found it easy to ‘zap’ the barcodes.

1. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?

Yes, it’s quick and easy. Good to make a quick decision between two snacks.

1. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?

I chose lower sugar yoghurt by using the app

1. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?

Nothing at present.

1. Yes, it certainly made us more aware of our food choices.

1. It was very easy to use and visual

1. Yes, definitely, it helps to keep us all aware of what we're eating

1. I've been able to use it to dissuade the kids from particular foods as i have the facts in front of me! I.e the app is saying it's unhealthy

1. Umm... fun food facts would be good to randomly pop up

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?

Sometimes, but I already had an awareness of healthy food and drinks.

1. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?

That it showed you how much sugar and fat was in food in a visual way.

1. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?

Maybe sometimes.

1. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?

I choose different snacks for my little girl.

1. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?

I can’t think of any.

re answered because of changes

1. I haven’t changed my decisions

1. include things other than sugar like salt

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?

Yes, it made me think and feel guilty about having certain drinks and snacks, so I didn't always have what I had originally intended.

1. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?

As a young child I always wanted to work in a supermarket and scan shopping, so the child in me enjoyed that aspect of using the app! We found it useful to compare items.

1. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?

Probably.

1. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?

This didn't happen to us during the test. period, we used it more at home with items we already have.

1. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?

I found there were a lot of foods not added, so increased food items loaded onto the system would work well.

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?

If I’m honest, no it didn’t. I found quite a few items weren’t found, or were found but no data was available. And other items gave information on what is contained in a packed, but not per portion.

1. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?

It was easy to understand once information was available. It was image heavy to explain to kids and easy to use.

1. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?

If the database was updated with more content and was reliable in its information yes I think it would be helpful.

1. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?

I can’t at this time. I really hoped it would have, but we do have a good diet so it isn’t too surprising.

1. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app?

No, I think it doesn’t overwhelm. Breaking down too many nutrients might overwhelm.

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices?

No really as when shopping with children I couldn’t scan every item I bought.

1. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app?

It was fun guessing how much sugar was in the product.

1. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app?

Yes we did change some products after realising the amount of sugar in them.

1. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app?

Yes, we bought a passata sauce that contained no sugar

1. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve

Not sure how but would be good to type in a product as well as scanning for online shopping.

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices? I think we try and be fairly aware but it was an eye opener for the children
2. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app? The kids liked the animations showing fat and sugar cubes
3. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app? Yes
4. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app? No - we used it on food we had in the house
5. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app? The thing my children found frustrating was that it didn't register some of the foods such as bread that they scanned

1. Do you think the Food Scanner app helped you to make healthier food and drink choices? Yes. Was a bit shocking to see the amount of sugar and salt in 'healthy food'
2. What did you and your family enjoy about using the Food Scanner app? I liked the visual side. Seeing the amount of sugar cubes etc. It was also very quick once you'd scanned
3. Do you think that you will continue to use the Food Scanner app? Maybe if more foods were added
4. Can you tell us about a time - if any - you changed your purchase choice as a result of the app? Put me off buying a ready meal with lots of salt in
5. We’d love to hear about any features you think could further improve the Food Scanner app? More foods on it as lots that I scanned didnt appear. Maybe other product suggestions or a way to log foods in a diary

1. It helped me make some healthier choices.
2. It was very quick. I liked that it showed portion, 100g and pack size info. I liked the way it was so visual, with the sugar cubes piling up and the fat flopping down.
3. If more foods added.
4. Stopped me buying some foodstuffs for me and I passed on info about some others to members of my family in a lighthearted way. I did continue buying what they’d asked for as they’re all adults.
5. I would like to see a food/calorie log with maybe a one click option to add a portion or different 100g amounts to the log. DD says perhaps a suggestion for a healthier alternative.

Meaning not just for snacks, but eg regular cornflakes instead crunchy nut cornflakes or squash instead of potato